By Omari White
June 1, 2017 —
The NBA Countdown analyst is regarded as one of sports broadcasting’s most charismatic figures on television today. But the journey to greatness wasn’t just a simple “stutter step cross over” for the former 13-year NBA veteran.
You may see his bright smile on ESPN and on ABC as he brings a refreshing swagger to the way he preps fans for the NBA’s most intriguing match-ups. You may remember him having a successful hoops career as he was a part of what some may consider as the most important college basketball team in NCAA history. But Jalen Rose is no stranger to the journey of hard work, dedication and innovating the sport of basketball on, and off, the court. Other than being a part of the historical “Fab Five” lineup at the University of Michigan, which transcends the way we watch basketball today, Jalen was one of the rare breed of tall combo guards in the early 1990’s-2000’s. Being a huge asset as a playmaker and clutch scorer during crunch time, he was able to garner the NBA’s Most Improved Award in which he averaged roughly 18.2 PPG for an …
Image via David Dow/Getty
BY
JASON FITTER
May 31, 2017 — Jalen Rose knows a thing or two about basketball. As a player and commentator, the Fab Five icon has been involved in the NBA for 20-plus years.
In his eyes, we are on the brink of the most historic NBA Finals series of all time. Jalen, after some prodding, picked the Warriors in 6, with Steph Curry winning MVP honors. He also predicted that this will be the most watched Finals in NBA history, which
given the storylines, makes a lot of sense.
For as bad as these playoffs have been we are owed a Finals for the ages. How fitting would it be for Mike Brown to coach the Warriors to victory over the team that fired him, twice? Is LeBron’s legacy any different if he ends this series with a 3-5 record in the NBA Finals? Would it be the biggest disappointment in NBA history if former MVP Kevin Durant joined a …
Plus, the ESPN commentator breaks down how NBA partying has changed through the years.
BY JACK HOLMES
May 3, 2017 – Jalen Rose made the transition from professional athlete to ubiquitous media personality with a seamlessness that only Michael Strahan has matched. One minute, he was suited up in an NBA uniform; the next, he was in a suit on a TV set and chatting with Bill Simmons on the Grantland podcast. Now the longest-serving analyst on ESPN’s NBA Countdown, he has his own ESPN radio show with David Jacoby, and is working on a sitcom about his life and career, Jalen vs. Everybody, for ABC.
While he admits he was never an “all-time great,” Rose is also one of the most well-liked professional athletes in recent memory. The evidence is in the names: Nobody in the public eye was named Jalen before Rose appeared on the scene as part of the University of Michigan’s Fab Five, but an army of Jalens played in this year’s NCAA tournament. We caught up with Rose for his take on his popularity, what lies ahead in the NBA playoffs, and NBA party culture….
